Meaning of sharing

Zen Story

A rich man came to a temple with ten thousand gold coins. That is quite a huge amount for that part of the world. He was going to gift that to the temple. The priest accepted it as if it was nothing.

The man became disturbed. He said, “Do you know these are ten thousand gold coins?”

The priest looked at him.

The man said again, “Ten thousand golden coins is a big amount, even to me. I am a very rich man, but that amount is very big.”

The priest said, “You have said it in so many words and I have heard it as many times too. Do you think I am deaf?”

It was obvious that the man was just expecting only ‘thanks’ and nothing more.

The priest said, “What do you want? What are you really expecting? Are you asking for some appreciation? Are you asking that I should be thankful to you?”

The man said, “At least that much can be expected.”

So the priest said, “Take your gold coins back. Or, if you want to give them to this temple, you will have to be thankful to me that I accepted.”

On the temple it is written even still… that the giver should be thankful; only then is it sharing.

When somebody accepts our gift, it means they accept US through that gift. This is such a great feeling because they could have easily rejected it as there was no compulsion to accept it.

That’s why the giver should be thankful. Then it becomes a sharing.

When a ‘thank you’ is demanded or expected in return, it becomes a bargain.